Air India terminates pilot after Phuket-Delhi flight drug test

Air India terminated the pilot-in-command of its Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance. The action followed an AAIB preliminary report flagging drug use as a serious safety concern after the flight suffered an altitude upset

New Delhi: Air India on Friday terminated the services of the pilot-in-command of Phuket-Delhi flight who had tested positive for drug use. The announcement from the airline came hours after probe agency AAIB’s preliminary report into the Phuket flight incident said the drug use by the pilot was a serious concern and asked regulator DGCA to take appropriate action.

“The Pilot-in-Command of the Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for a psychoactive substance. In line with Air India’s zero-tolerance approach to violation of safety, fitness or regulatory requirements, the pilot’s employment has been terminated with immediate effect,” the airline said in a statement.

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On August 4, the Phuket-Delhi flight, operating with an A320 plane, suddenly lost nearly 300 feet altitude and many people who were on board suffered injuries.

In the preliminary report, AAIB said the plane carrying 145 people suffered near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems while cruising at 36,000 feet, triggering an autopilot disconnect, a brief stall warning and an altitude upset that injured 24 people.